KNOXVILLE - Tennessee pretty much followed the same script it did in coughing up leads in the September losses to Oklahoma and Florida.
After a fast start, the offense got stuck in neutral and the defense began leaking big plays. Multiple chances to close the victory came, all of them left on the table.
Only this time, the Volunteers actually won the game.
They recovered from blowing a 17-point lead in the second quarter and survived a scare from South Carolina only when Malik Foreman punched the ball out of Jerell Adams' grasp and Jalen Reeves-Maybin recovered with 32 seconds left to preserve a 27-24 Southeastern Conference victory at Neyland Stadium on Saturday.
"It's a good feeling for us just to win," defensive end Derek Barnett said. "If it's ugly, I mean, we got the 'W' at the end of the day. Winning's hard, and the more you win the harder it gets."
Tennessee (5-4, 3-3) has made a habit of playing close games this season, and the Vols were able to prevail thanks to their defense stopping three South Carolina drives prior to Foreman's late-game heroics.
The Vols were in similar positions, needing a late stop to preserve a victory, in four previous games and won only once.
Players have shrugged off the bitter memories from the three losses, but linebacker Reeves-Maybin admitted the finishes are easier to remember when you win.
"Definitely," he said. "We know what it feels like to make a big play at the end with (Brian) Randolph doing it in the Georgia game and Malik coming up big with this one. Every time we get to the end of the game, we've got that fire in our eyes like we've got to do whatever it takes to get the win. We can't go back into the locker room with the 'L.'"
Tennessee coach Butch Jones became a little animated in his postgame news conference and called for the media to focus more on the positive aspects of the program.
"I'm never going to apologize for winning," he said.
"We're still building," he continued. "I'm proud of our players. I'm proud of our program. But we need to start being positive around here, because we've got kids that are giving it their all every single day. And I'm not picking on you. It's my job to protect these young men and protect our program.
"We're building something special here, and I think we all need to realize that. I love y'all, and I love Tennessee, but I want positivity, because recruits want to be here, everybody wants to be here and we're going to build something special."
Tennessee's performance after the opening eight minutes of the game was anything but special.
The Vols were outgained 357-231 after the first quarter and rushed for 17 yards in the second half. There were two costly turnovers and six penalties. South Carolina controlled most of the game.
It all came after Tennessee cruised to an easy 14-0 lead and appeared on its way to another runaway victory.
It didn't happen, and the Vols found themselves holding on in the end.
"It came down to the fourth and was a tight ballgame at the end," Barnett said. "I didn't want it to be like that and we didn't want it to be like that, but stuff happens. It's football. It makes the game more fun."
Quarterback Josh Dobbs acknowledged that the Vols "relaxed" after the lightning-fast start.
"We were on the sideline talking and we kind of felt like it was really us that changed," he said. "We kind of let the foot off the pedal, and every team we play, in the SEC especially, they're good, and you let the foot off the pedal, they're going to be able to come back in the game, as what happened tonight.
"We've got to do a great job of once we get up like that, we've got to keep playing and keep fighting. The game's not over 10 minutes into the first half. You've got to keep playing. We'll come out and do better, but a win's a win and we'll take them how they come."
Jones correctly pointed out that good teams find ways to win when they don't play their best, and that certainly was the case for Tennessee on Saturday.
"It's a testament to where we are now from where we were before," left tackle Kyler Kerbyson said. "In past years it was we literally would have to play our best game to have a chance. Now we can have mistakes on offense or on defense and the other side will bail us out. We don't have to play exactly the best game and we can still come away with the win.
"That just shows how much our team has grown and how much this program is really working."
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.